In the sport of archery hunting, one of the main concerns is how much penetration the arrowhead achieves upon striking the target. Since an arrowhead kills by causing bleeding, good penetration in the body of the animal being shot is of prime importance. In fact, full penetration of the arrowhead through the body of the animal is preferred.
When an arrowhead with a fixed blade design strikes a hard surface, such as bone or cartilage, within the body of the animal, the amount of penetration the arrowhead achieves is greatly diminished. This is due to the increased resistance caused by the fixed blade of the arrowhead pressing against a hard surface area, such as bone, within the body of the animal. On the other hand, if the blade of the arrowhead is allowed to move, or pivot, upon striking a hard surface, the amount of resistance the arrowhead encounters is greatly reduced, thus resulting in greater penetration of the arrowhead into the body of the animal.
Therefore, as far as the sport of archery is concerned, it is desirable to have an arrowhead with a moveable, or pivoting, blade design, in order to achieve a greater amount of penetration into the body of the animal, thereby creating a cut of greater length, thus creating a greater amount of bleeding.